All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Atherosclerosis is just one of several types of arteriosclerosis, which is characterized by thickening and hardening of artery walls (e.g., coronary arteries, carotid arteries, aorta, and ileofemoral arteries). Over time, this material thickens, hardens and may eventually block or severely narrow the arteries. More than 61 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and other conditions. More than 2,600 Americans die every day because of cardiovascular diseases. Thus, there is a need in the art for additional strategies for the treatment of atherosclerosis and the array of related diseases and physiological conditions, as well as methods to assess the phenotypic switching of macrophages and methods to monitor the efficacy of atherosclerosis treatment. While the inventors have observed potent anti-atherogenic effects of Apo A-I Milano gene transfer using retrovirally transduced bone marrow in Apo E−/−Apo A-1−/−double knockout mice, further studies to elucidate the mechanism of action are useful to provide additional therapeutic options for patients.